


Still Together--Still Kicking: Duran Duran in 1987

by yourlibrarian



Series: Concert Reviews [3]
Category: Duran Duran
Genre: 1980s, Concerts, Gen, Nonfiction, Reviews
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:21:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23113105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlibrarian/pseuds/yourlibrarian
Summary: Review of Los Angeles and Irvine, California concerts July 25 and 27, 1987.
Series: Concert Reviews [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668118
Comments: 6
Kudos: 2
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	Still Together--Still Kicking: Duran Duran in 1987

It was three years ago today that Duran Duran came to play -- give or take a few months. They left in their wake their first U.S. #1 single, "The Reflex", and a mediocre album that sold well anyhow. Whether or not it was clear to the band at this point, their rapid market expansion only added fuel to the burning pyre made by music critics as to their fate and their whole legitimacy as a band. It looked more like a PR phenomenon, and the band was unfortunately becoming caught up in it.

By the end of 1984 the band was on a rapid path to entropy. After the production of the "Wild Boys" single (which should have been a bigger hit than it was considering the apparent success of the tour), and the assemblage of the acoustically arid and generally unexciting live album "Arena", the band went off in different directions in the pursuit of musical expansion. Musically speaking, their individual projects were a success. But the fragmentation of the band's focus and forces were the first step in the changes to come.

The release of the music video, "Arena" has never been fully explained. From subsequent comments it appears the band's managers took too much upon themselves (perhaps necessarily in a directive sense) and produced this ridiculous piece of claptrap without much input from the band. Not only did they spoil what had been an excellent concert special (originally shown as a television special in both the U.S. and the U.K called, "When the Lights Go Down"), but the video was released to no reaction at all. At a point where the band had been so overexposed from a concert standpoint, the emphasis on past achievements so late was not a wise move. (The "Arena" video inexplicably took almost a year to release). For whatever reason, the band engaged in various management struggles and ended up dumping brothers Paul and Michael Berrows and retaining management control within the band.

This was only the first upheaval that would reduce the "Seven" of their Ragged Tiger album to three. Encouraged by the musical freedom and superb results with another band, John Taylor began to resist a return to his roots. First alienating Robert Palmer in his decision to create a Power Station tour (one he now admits was a mistake), Taylor found his relationship with Andy Taylor also degenerating. No doubt experiencing a liberationof his own from the stricter formatting of Duran Duran's musical productions, Andy became more and more "self-indulgent" in his guitar work. After the tour, he ended up resettling in L.A. and immersing himself in individual creative projects.

John himself resettled in New York and went on to write and release the theme to "9 1/2 Weeks" with new collaborator Jonathan Elias. In the meantime, Duran Duran's other junior project, Arcadia, was having a different result on drummer Roger Taylor. As the project reached completion and marketing work began on the new band, Taylor made the extent of his dissatisfaction known in regards to the public aspects of his work. For personal reasons, he decided to leave the music business entirely. Long having been the stable foundation of the group, whose reticence and discomfort with the media could only have worsened with 1984's public exposure demands, his departure was a definite signal that Duran Duran, as it had been known, was defunct.

The band seems to be approaching their complement's demise as a weeding out process, done for the group's own good. Uncomplimentary as it sounds, they are correct in claiming that Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Simon le Bon were always the central members of the group. With the three non-publicity shy, focused, and similar-minded members remaining, the new Duran Duran has made itself creatively mobile, able to stretch its musical boundaries with greater ease. Seeing as how their sound has become harder and more sophisticated, it seems a shame that the admirable guitar talents of Andy Taylor are now absent, but it is obvious that temperament conflicts can be far more destructive than musical ineptness.

They have no such problem on their current tour. Starting in a longtime admiring country (and one which has usually been faithful to its favorite foreign artists) Duran Duran proceeded from Japan to Europe and their home country of England. Only after four months did they reach the North American shores. (At this writing it is not known if they will also be touring Australia and New Zealand). Even before they played, the differences were noticeable.

Either Capitol records is so busy with its internal problems that PR is suffering, or else they are cutting their losses with the poor judgement typical of recent years. For a musical group that showed enormous potential in 1984 and has released an album that has drawn critical conciliation if not grudging praise, Capitol could do better than let this group tour untrumpeted. Admittedly, Notorious sold poorly and their third single, "Meet El Presidente" never even got close to the top forty. But the title track almost hit #1 and, as they haven't toured in three years, it would be a good time to revive the album's sales and invest in a group whose future may yet turn profits.

Instead, in a summer filled with comeback tours such as Madonna, David Bowie, Paul Simon and the Grateful Dead, Duran Duran's reappearance on the musical scene has gone virtually unnoticed. What publicity there is is low key. Perhaps the band wants it that way, but if, as John Taylor says, they plan to create musical credibility by confronting each critic individually, lack of press will make it take that much longer.

I was particularly puzzled by this attitude when they played Los Angeles. In a city which le Bon repeatedly claims has been a longtime friend to the band and its strongest U.S. support, the furor over the band's return was largely created by public reaction. Ticket agencies reacted in shock after the band's only date at the Forum sold out in under 2 1/2 hours. Swamped with demand, a second date was added and scalpers were prepared. Despite a second sell-out, the Saturday show was under capacity and significant parts of the crowd were repeat business. Nevertheless, a third date was added at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, which, even on the day of the show, had numerous seats available.

After the sell-outs the radio stations took note, but there were few publicity events besides ticket giveaways. The L.A. Times ignored their arrival completely (choosing instead to focus on a concert by Emmylou Harris) and the Orange County Register (local paper to Irvine), carried only a syndicated and rather uninformative article prior to their appearance. KROQ alone of the L.A. stations gave the band real airtime in, not only an interview, but a rock block weekend on the eve of their concerts. KROQ, it should be noted, was one of two L.A. stations who originally broke the band on commercial radio.

I missed the band's opening show at the Forum in Inglewood, but if the crowd at the second night's showing was any indication, the fans have mellowed. Even though I arrived at 7:00, but one hour before the show was to begin, there was only a small, orderly line of people waiting to be let in out front. The Forum parking lot wasn't even half full.

People started arriving in numbers after 7:30, with black seeming to be mandatory dress. I would guess the crowd is three to four years older than during my last foray here, which might mean I'm not the only one at this show coming back for seconds. A lot of young men are here too, whether to see the band or pick up the girls I can't tell.

Checking out the merchandise I find quite a smaller selection than on the last tour -- at considerably inflated prices. As I glance through a "Poster Book" I shake my head and hand it back saying, "Maybe after the show." The vendor smiles cynically and says, "I don't blame you."

I find this attitude a sign of things to come. Somehow, the excitement, enthusiasm and expectation seem to be missing. By 7:40 the crowd has drifted inside. The place is half full and there is no crowding or heavy interest in the interior merchandise stalls. The concert program is nice, but not very informative as to American or Canadian dates. There are none listed on their tour shirts either. I know that this is one of their last stops, so perhaps tour drag is the cause of all this personnel boredom.

The Forum seems much smaller to me, even though I have visited it twice since their 1984 show. Maybe it is the absence of jostling crowds and throngs of moving bodies. Our seats are next to the floor and it is soon apparent that the Forum is big enough to prevent a clear view without a screen. There is none on this tour.

At 8:05 Erasure takes the stage. My first thought is that it was a well chosen group. Still next to unknown in the U.S., with no stage set-up whatsoever (one synthesizer, three mikes), they turn out pacifying music that is no challenge to the glitz and glamour of the headline act. Since L.A. is one of the few places in which Erasure has gotten a lot of exposure, the reception is very warm. The sound is good but, as most of it is taped, that's to be expected. They also have many fans of their own in the audience.

"Reunion", "March on Down the Line" and others precede the big crowd pleaser, "Who Needs Love Like That". Even though the arena has the usual opening act traffic, the response increases as they go on to "Oh l'Amour" and their closer, "Sometimes". Nevertheless, as the group thanks the crowd for listening and walks offstage, the response dies down quickly.

I am sitting next to a girl who was here on opening night. She and three friends were up in closer LOGE seats, making a lot of noise. They were approached by a security person and offered tickets to the Irvine Meadows show, which was due to be filmed. She and her friends were told to "be in the front, dress sluttily and make a lot of noise." She couldn't wait.

The Rolling Stones play over the PA as the stage is rearranged and there is but a twenty minute wait before Duran Duran appears promptly at 9:00. The outfits are relatively subdued and streamlined, much like the new combo. It is hard to ignore the pungent smell of deodorant soap from the arena seats (what happened on opening night, anyway?). Concession salesmen are rife in the aisles and a few more people drift in. Despite the ticket sell-out the place never reaches full capacity and there are scores of empty seats on the floor ahead of us.

Without the fanfare of a curtain or a screen the opening isn't as dramatic as expected. The stage set up is a simple one, with back risers for the band, and a low front one for the synthesizer. It shows the absence of a corporate sponsor on the tour.

The platforms pulse with red light as a heartbeat pounds to a crescendo and the group takes to the stage for "A View to a Kill". The always impeccably attired Rhodes is wearing a grey/lilac colored toreador outfit, and Taylor and le Bon are wearing red and grey open back tank shirts, respectively. They both work the stage, Taylor perfunctorily, and le Bon with a lot less drama than in the past.

Throughout the show Warren Cucurullo gets little attention and his meetings with Taylor on stage seem to be obligatory. Two things become obvious as the band moves on to "American Science", "Union of the Snake","Vertigo" and "New Religion". The music sounds great, but the chemistry that made their more predictable shows in '84 exciting, is sadly absent.

Of course, there are some surprises. On "Meet El Presidente" le Bon races up to the podium behind the drummer and begins exhorting the youth of America to make their move, reminding them that "the world is not the same anymore and things are going to get worse if they keep on the way they're going now. There are people out there trying to scare you, trying to repress you, trying to take you back to the way things were before. Well, meet El Presidente because he wants to meet you!"

As the song ends, le Bon continues his grandstanding. "If you're tired of bullshit politics, then vote for me on my next "Election Day"!"

"Election Day" is drawn out with a terrific sax solo. "Some Like It Hot" follows with a fan two rows behind us lighting a torch. It is quickly extinguished by security personnel, so she lights a match instead.

There is a break as a long and interesting "new-age" synthesizer solo goes on, during which 49 joined TV screens lower from the ceiling and a neon sign flashes a motel vacancy. Cheers greet the beginning of "The Chauffeur" video as le Bon reemerges in cap and white raincoat, one leg up on a chair.

The announcement introducing "Save a Prayer" is rather shocking, more so because of its reception. Le Bon tells the crowd that a friend of theirs had been in a car accident and had died that day. It was their former record producer Alex Sadkin, who produced both their "Is There Something I Should Know" single and their "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" album. The crowd cheers, more interested in the song announced than a record producer many didn't know.

Like other old songs on the bill, "Save a Prayer" has been revamped. It is done with some bongos and two acoustical guitars. It adds a good bit of poignancy to the tribute. When followed by "A Matter of Feeling", a wiser version of "Save a Prayer," one can agree with le Bon that the world the song was written for in 1982 no longer exists.

Le Bon explains to us that when he was growing up a young man had two choices -- he could play football (soccer) or he could join the "Skin Trade". Actually this is true of almost every other band member but himself, harking back to a comment made by Roger Taylor of the prospects the industrial Birmingham and economically declining Newcastle area offered. During the song a bouquet makes it to the stage and, after feigning coyness, le Bon tucks a white carnation behind his ear and begins making kissy faces at his bassist.

"Hold Me" came next, sounding good with the break serving as an introduction to the band. When Sybil Scoby was introduced as "the hottest thing north of the Mexican border" she brought out a guitar and proceeded to play "Dance to the Music". It was a bad move since Duran Duran had claimed to be influenced by Sly Stone on the "Notorious" album and this reference overshadowed the pseudo-funk aspects of most of their latest work.

It should be noted that Stone's lessons were not entirely lost. Following "Hold Me" the band launched into a version of "Hungry Like the Wolf" so jazzed out most people didn't recognize it until le Bon began to sing. It was good enough a closer that the calls for an encore were genuine and the continued dim lights, unnecessary.

As feet began to pound on the stadium floor, the beat of a drum and an invigorating bass line moved the stomping into a frenzied rhythm. After a few moments John Taylor strutted back on stage to a pulsing red light, and was then joined by Cucurullo. After a few more moments the video screens were lowered and Rhodes took his place at the synthesizer. The screen began to flash "Wild Boys" and then le Bon appeared in a pre-taped black and white introduction, singing the first verse.

They had achieved a good rapport with the audience by the time le Bon invited the crowd to help him with a song that began "Na na na na, na na na na". The audience sang along enthusiastically as he sang a calypso-ish introduction inciting the crowd to "wave along with me". "The Reflex" was well played and the crowd stuck around as le Bon again said good night and added, "Is Duran Duran really gone? You'll never know." Quite a few people waited as the synthesizer chimed, and some continued doing so after the lights went up. But there would be no more for that evening.

I also attended their concert at Irvine Meadows. Although the amphitheater is but five miles from my apartment, it took longer to get there than it did to Inglewood. Traffic is packed for miles and to make the situation worse this happens to be the same day as my Finite Math class final. My teacher offers me an A for the class if I give him my ticket. This false impression about ticket availability is about to make a lot of scalpers unhappy tonight.

It is 8:00 and I am not yet through the gates. All of Irvine's police force must be here, either directing traffic, monitoring the premises or patrolling the area. There is a helicopter circling too. KROQ plays Erasure's "Sometimes" as I turn into the parking lot. It will be the only song of theirs I hear as I make my way in.

Scalpers and beer bottles are in great profusion in the parking lot. I think every third person must be buying or selling as I've never been offered so many tickets in a five minute walk. They are still selling some at the box office and some of these tickets offered are going below face value.

The crowd here is the most unusual I've seen. Most people are about 20 and look like they should be going to see the Beastie Boys or the Cult. There are many "young-cool-snobs-who-want-a-reason-to-party". As the sign over the turnstiles proclaims, "This concert will be videotaped. If you don't want to be on film, don't come in." Many act as if there are hidden cameras in the parking lot.

Tour fatigue can't be the only reason accounting for the disgusted attitude of merchandisers. As I come upon the first booth, an early 30s couple are arguing with one of the two merchandisers, who is telling them, in a New-York-impatient tone that the band is the one who sets the merchandise prices. They disagree, saying that the managers set the prices, or at best tell the band what prices to set. Even though the three of us are the only ones at the booth, both merchandisers ignore me, and one answers shortly "The band is the one that is ripping you off. They set all the prices."

"No, I don't believe that, not of this band," the woman replies.

When I ask for a t-shirt the merchandiser looks at me as if he's doing me a great favor by taking my money. Two things are puzzling me. The first is that the couple looks as if they should be at a James Taylor or CS&N concert. The second is that they find it unusual that Duran Duran would set their merchandise prices. Having been one of the first bands to openly acknowledge the importance of marketing from the artistic end, as well as their primary role and skill in selling themselves, they would be the most logical people to do so, especially as they have consolidated management within themselves. Unfortunately it is but 20 minutes before the show, and I haven't the time to linger.

Irvine Meadows is a nice venue. Outdoor arenas in general have a certain atmosphere and intimacy and the set-up here is very nice. I find that my seats have been taken over by a camera crew, so I am given better ones in the center. There are about five cameras filming, two on tracks running up to the stage from the sixth row and another poised in the front row. Many teens are already gathered in the orchestra pit.

Sitting to my left is a young man named Paul, about sixteen, who when seeing my notes asks if I'm a journalist. When I tell him I freelance he asks a bit dispiritedly, "Do you even like Duran Duran?" Considering the approach most of the press take to this band, it's not a surprising question. It turns out that he is not a 'diehard' original fan who span the band's records since their 1981 underground success in L.A. Rather, through a brother who owns a ticket agency, he "happened" upon fifth row tickets to the closing San Diego show in 1984. That night made him a believer, and he since formed his own band, Panic, for which he is the guitarist. Their music is, he tells me, a combination of Pink Floyd and the Smiths and the rest of the band is here with him tonight. He was also at the opening show in L.A. Right now his band is still playing parties but he hopes to start in clubs soon -- well, as soon as they find the right lead singer. He is intelligent, articulate, mature, affable and reasonably attractive (in a Ralph Maccio manner). I find myself wishing him luck.

The crowd seems almost secondary in comparison to the number of security people, coordinators, technicians and camera people wandering about. Two large counters by the stage move to the 1 million mark. I have an interesting bunch seated around me. With Paul and his bandmates to my left I have several teenyboppers to my right. Behind me is a group of frat/surfer males and in front of me a 6'4", rail thin JT cosplayer dressed in a black leather fringe jacket with more ordinary looking companions.

Everyone rises to their feet when at 9:05 a samba beat starts up and a group of dancing partiers hits the stage. Four professionals (three women and a man playing a hand drum) come out in front. The rest are anyone's guess. Most don't seem to know what to do with the instruments they're holding, or even how to dance and the girl on the far left can't be more than eleven. The women's skimpy costumes and the option of having something other than technicians to look at captures the crowd's attention for a while. But after an interminable ten minutes (and the drummer's brief failed attempt at singing), the audience boos.

They finally depart to relieved applause. At 9:15 the crowd claps along with the heartbeat entrance and a siren wails as Duran Duran plays "A View to a Kill".

"Notorious" and "American Science" are also well received. There are screams when le Bon doffs his jacket. Taylor seems to be more occupied with someone in the wings than with the audience. Camera crews crawl around behind the stage, filming the drummer and back-up singers. The track cameras swing over the crowd in the orchestra pit.

"We're glad to be with you as well," le Bon calls as he encourages clapping. The lights go down on the stage and up on the audience after every number, making it a bit difficult to keep the audience going. Moreover, as his next exchange proves, the crowd is not undemanding.

"We human beings are a fickle race," le Bon began, "and sometimes we do things that aren't very good for us."

No doubt expecting an anti-drug message with the smell of pot in the air, one of the surfers calls from behind me "Like what?"

"But this next song will be understood by those who have at some time thought of doing something like jumping off a building. It's called 'Vertigo'."

Hardly sobered by the message, the crowd keeps batting a beach ball to the stage with first le Bon and the Taylor kicking it back. The third time it is confiscated by a quick moving roadie. The bass is too heavy for some reason, but the sound balance is apparently corrected during the show. Le Bon staggers the "hear me when you listen" a cappella with his back-up and the crowd joins in.

The audience is not amused when Taylor introduces "New Religion". Standing on the edge of the stage he looks out at the lit crowd and calls "Don't you look pretty? We don't usually get a chance to see our audience and now I'm not sure we'll want to do it again." He didn't much sound as if he was joking.

Nevertheless, the new rhythm version of "Rio" was well liked and the crowd shouted back to le Bon "Don't go! Don't go!". The chorus beat changed and le Bon rapped out his middle eight lines. The music was infectious and le Bon flamencoed with his tambourine during a syncopated break. The crowd was flashed with light several times as the song plunged to a close.

Yellow and red highlighted the stage with a rather Eastern bloc set decor for "Meet El Presidente". Despite the fact that the song failed miserably on the charts the crowd knows the words and there is a strong sing-a-long. Le Bon begins his podium thumping talking about evil in government and the world and adding "I'll tell you where's the best place to hide."

Taylor and Cucurullo go nose to nose on the chorus and le Bon calls first "Vive la revolucion" and then, contradictorily, "We're going to stop it right now." Unfortunately, though Duran Duran claim to be taking stands these days, whatever it is they are preaching seems as vague as the motivations for the abstract revolution depicted in their "New Moon on Monday" video. There are no specific politics, moral statements or directive messages -- just the same upbeat, forward-thinking positivism they have always espoused. So, when le Bon calls "Youth of the world unite. Are you just in the name of freedom? When I look into the world today I see the deep emotionless sockets of repression. If you believe you have a right to liberty you must stand up and fight for it. This time, it should be your 'Election Day'," you must wonder who is repressing the young, what freedoms they are in danger of losing, and who it is they should be voting for.

In any case, the song is well done, even though it is almost entirely synthesized. Taylor stands off to one side, looking rather bored at the extra keyboard set up for him, and doesn't seem to be paying attention to the few chords he's playing. Le Bon sidles next to the occupied Rhodes and makes some comment that draws a laugh. He teases the orchestra pit crowd on the "stretching my body" line and then goes to lounge under Sybil Scoby as she attempts to do justice to Grace Jones's spoken lines.

What comes next is much more surprising than the band's supposedly new social consciousness. In place of their rather veiled sexual stage personas, le Bon tears a page from the recent rash of stage humping begun during Prince's 1984 tour and spreading most recently to Billy Idol's '87 tour. Lacking a guitar, le Bon substitutes the microphone stand as a phallic symbol. Clasping his wrists together as if bound, he elicits some screams as he sinks to his knees by the microphone and then lies back, bringing it down on top of him. At first he rolls around the stage with it, and then enters a masturbatory sequence that culminates with ejaculatory spurts provided by Rhodes's synthesizers as the song dies out. The crowd has either been shocked, amazed or fascinated into silence but as the lights come up for the next number one of the surfers behind me finds his voice and declares "That was baaaad!"

Taylor and Rhodes ignored le Bon's extended acting job, which is coming off as a bit staged -- particularly when during "Some Like It Hot" he looks around, spots Taylor and reminds him to come over for the mock-scolding on the "She wants to multiply -- are you going to do it?" lines. The crowd, at least, doesn't seem to notice. Le Bon encourages Cucurullo's guitar solo and dances around him as he moves across stage, then rhythm steps back with Taylor to center stage.

A faint lavender haze circles the synthesizers as Rhodes begins the complicated introduction to their rendition of "The Chauffeur" spending all of the several minutes on the balls of his feet as he moves back and forth between keyboards. The haze becomes purple as the video screens descend, the motel sign lights and le Bon begins the song. Three firework sparklers are shot over the crowd. Fortunately, injuries are avoided as one lands to the side, another hits a camera crew and the third hits the orchestra pit crowd. To his credit, le Bon doesn't miss a line. The lighting turns blue as Taylor plays by his side and the singer drops his coat to reveal the second surprise of the evening -- he is wearing jeans. Since the wearing of denim, particularly on stage, is a no-no Rhodes swore would never happen, the appearance of this knee and seat ripped apparel doesn't look like a natural departure from the band's usually sophisticated wear. (Andy Taylor, on his departure from the band, wasted no time in shredding his own denims). Le Bon closes the number by dropping to a crouch as the keys jingle, and  
flutters a hand to the ground in the blue spotlight. 

Taylor comes strolling out with a guitar and le Bon introduces "Save a Prayer", no longer as a love song but as "a song about trying to find a peaceful path in this violent world". A video featuring the evolving symbols of the tour (a heart, a globe and a star) starts to play and le Bon whispers a message to Taylor who nods and glances up at the screen. There is no dazzle of lighters this time, but someone a few rows over lights a roll of paper on fire and this time there are no quick security guards to put it out.

The lights are brought up with the crowd who is encouraged to sway together, but everyone is out of sync. Nevertheless, the audience is singing strongly and le Bon stops after "but we could call it paradise" and the song continues perfectly without him. He listens and nods for a few lines before joining in again.

"I don't know what it's like where you live, but where I come from it's not so easy to get a decent job," le Bon begins.

"Welfare bum!" shouts one of the surfers behind me. He probably doesn't realize that all three of the band were, in fact, on the dole before the group got started.

"But one day, my Mom sat me down and this is what she said to me," le Bon continued, beginning a slow Motown-ish tune in which a mother advises her sons of the difficulties of employment. Taylor has his back to the audience, either coordinating with his back up or concentrating on the new piece. Le Bon concludes, "and this is what she said" and takes out a harmonica for a pretty fair solo.

"Now as you can all see, I never did follow my mother's advice," le Bon told the audience," which is why I am now in front of you, working for the skin trade."

Taylor seems to loosen up for the first time tonight as he leans over to yap in le Bon's face and the singer replies by chasing him across the stage to do the same. Le Bon then reaches down to the audience as he sings "when it comes to making money, say yes, please, thank you," and jumps back with a yelp.

A smoke bomb goes off to the left of the arena, and le Bon tucks the microphone into the back of his pants as he joins the guitarist and bassist center stage. They play during a jazzed-up break to the front audience whom le Bon waves a finger to. Taylor gives off some genuine smiles as some roses fly by, then confers with Cuccurullo as they go straight into "Hold Me".

After asking the crowd how they're doing, le Bon introduces the band, saying about Cuccurullo, "he's the real reason we had to replace Andy Taylor."

No one seems to mind. As the brass section plays on the crowd really starts getting into it. There are enthusiastic cheers as le Bon tells the audience to "shake those butts" and introduces "Is There Something I Should Know?"

Blue and yellow lights flash on the drummer and the crowd as le Bon reminds us he wants to see us moving, and becomes so involved in leading the crowd he doesn't notice when his band starts to end the song without him.

Red and green lights flash as he bounds onto the stage with his trademark leap for "Hungry Like the Wolf". The crowd picks up on the railway boogie chorus and point back at le Bon. He and Taylor encourage rhythm clapping and Rhodes, too, cracks a few grins as the song ends. Le Bon twirls an imaginary cape over his head and shouts "Until we meet again -- good night."

After a suitable intermission Taylor struts back on stage with the gut thumping bass line of "Wild Boys" and the crowd roars back as le Bon comes on stage and slaps it with the "wild boys" line. He tries a handshake in the front and then grabs maracas. Some guy marches on stage, playing a water bottle, and stands at stage right, uncertain what to do with himself now. He is at last grabbed by a roadie. 

The song seems to end too soon and amidst the cheering le Bon announces, "We're going to need help with this number. Come on out girls." The Bangles, who were special guests during the opening night at the Forum also, come out to do "If She Knew What She Wants". They are greeted politely but the loudest response comes when le Bon takes a chorus. Taylor laughs with bassist Michael Steele at her microphone. After a kiss for Susannah Hoffs, le Bon abruptly waves goodbye and, arms around each other, the two bands leave the stage.

Feeling rather cheated, the audience rumbles, wondering if this is really the show's closer. Fortunately the row crawling, which has been annoyingly consistent during the show (with people climbing down over seats to get to the front), has stopped. Just before anyone starts getting nasty, the band returns to the stage and stands on the lip.

"How do you feel under the spotlight?" le Bon calls. Then in an aside to someone in the front he adds, "I'll take mine off if you do." Continuing, he calls out "Does that mean you might be able to do a bit of singing with us?" As the crowd cheers a reply, people take their places on stage. Rhodes picks up the bouquet of roses and stands by his synthesizers uncertainly, finally tossing them off smoothly to a passing Sybil Scoby. The calypso-ish chant begins again with le Bon singing, "We came across the ocean to be with you tonight. We've got music, rhythm and energy, so get ready and dance along with me...na,na,na,na."

Taylor also stands at the microphone, singing along with the audience and they launch into "The Reflex". A fan runs onto the stage, startling le Bon and nearly reaching Taylor before getting pulled off. Later two more clamber on and grab le Bon before being pulled away (Cuccurullo slapping one on the bottom as she went by). Le Bon forgot his line and sang one twice. This time, they leave for real as the church bells chime and the crowd finally drifts out.

Many people are hanging around in the parking lot as I make my way home and KROQ is concluding an airing of the "Arena" album. They are also taking callers with comments on the shows. Most are appreciative of the band's new musical style, and not one person makes the usual teenybopper comments. As I maneuever my car out I think of the review given by one those surfers behind me as the concert ended.

"That was a pretty good concert. I'm glad I came."

Maybe Duran Duran will be back in 1990.


End file.
